FBI wants citizens to report government fraud

The FBI wants to help people who think there is public corruption and government fraud going on.

Gina Swankie, the FBI spokeswoman for the Lake Tahoe area who is based in Sacramento, said the alleged bribery involving South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman Angela Swanson and former pot club owner Gino DiMatteo had nothing to do with issuing the press release.

“It’s more of an initiative because people don’t know where to report things they observe,” Swankie told Lake Tahoe News.

The Sacramento office includes 34 California counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.

Public corruption, according to the FBI, includes bribery, extortion, embezzlement, racketeering, kickbacks, and money laundering, as well as wire, mail, bank, and tax fraud.

Anyone with information about such activities is urged to call toll free — 855.466.7243. Callers are asked to leave their name, telephone number and a brief description of their concerns and observations. Agents will review voicemail daily and contact individuals as needed.

“While the vast majority of public officials remain committed to the communities they serve, an extremely small minority of individuals usurp their public positions for personal or private gain,” the FBI said in a press release. “The FBI remains dedicated, along with our law enforcement partners, to ensuring this behavior is fully investigated and if necessary, prosecuted under the law.”

— Lake Tahoe News staff report